Fracking and The Dirty Politics

The thing with Hydraulic Fracturing is we don’t have to wait almost a century to see the effects. In states that have already seen the devastating effects there have been earthquakes and sink holes almost one mile across. These are from injection wells which is one way they get rid of flow back water, which is toxic. However, the industry is telling us we have the chemicals under our sinks. Sorry I don’t have anything marked Zettaflow under my sink. They also have contaminated water, air, and water. Just like us here in Pennsylvania.

With coal mining of old, you had sulfur turning the creeks and springs orange. However, with fracking you have to look a bit closer. Although you don’t have to look too hard, the water gets a bubbly scummy film on it and oil spots.

Here in Pennsylvania the Governor and the DEP has said, it’s ok for the waste water from these wells to be dumped right in the rivers with out any filtration. Their reasoning was, the volume and fast movement of the water will dissipate any harmful ingredients in the waste water. On this one Corbett does not get all the blame because, Ed Rendell did not stop the rescission of this rule in the last weeks of his term.

When Tom Corbett moved in to the Governor’s mansion, one of the first things he did for the Gas Industry was to rescind environmental safeguards put in place by the Democrats and Ex-governor Rendell. One was drilling on state game lands, and parks. Another is what I mentioned above about dumping in rivers without proper filtering.

Tom Corbett appointed Michael Krance to head the DEP. Krancer is another member of the “Pocket Lint” in the Gas Industry’s pocket. Krancer and the DEP are caught up in a mini-scandal, which the DEP was using codes on how to write up reports that were for the Gas industry and contaminated well water. This was brought to light when Jesse White Representative of the 46th District, after he tried to get to get the raw data from a study done on the air quality at Corner Stone Care in Burgettstown Pa. after several people became ill on two different occasions.

The DEP refused to release the 400 plus page report even after Rep. White filed a Right-to-Know request. Although there is no rock-hard proof that it has anything to do with the lack of information that the DEP practice would have anything to do with not releasing that report one would have to draw that conclusion.

So there are still people who feel Corbett and the Pennsylvania Right are not in bed with the Gas Industry, and if you have read this far and still feel that way let’s look at Pa. HB 1950 now known as Act 13. This is the bill that the republicans, Corbett, and the Gas Industry wrote together. It is also under discussion in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as whether or not the zoning section is unconstitutional, because it basically removes property rights. It does this by turning all zoning rulings over to Harrisburg when it comes to Fracking.

Act 13 has millions of dollars of giveaways to the Industry. In fact, one of the giveaways that should have people in an uproar is the millions that are going to Shell oil a Foreign Company

Another giveaway is to the gas companies so we the taxpayers are paying for their workers to live in our state, while they are here taking jobs from the Pennsylvania citizenry.

The piece of this bill that also upsets me is, a 1% tax (Impact Fee) which is the lowest in any state that is being Fracked. The next lowest is West Virginia at 5%. If the tax (Impact Fee) would have been, say 4% ther would have been enough money that the infrastructure problem the state is facing would not be the big hindrance it has become.

In today’s Pittsburgh Post Gazette there is an article on Governor Corbett’s thoughts on how to handle transit in the state. I should say a few thoughts, as he didn’t say much.

That report called for raising $2.7 billion annually through lifting a cap on a tax charged to fuel distributors and by raising license and registration fees.

Mr. Corbett declined Saturday to say whether his plan will include hiking fees on drivers, but he has previously suggested that he may be amenable to lifting the cap on the oil franchise tax.

I added this because, it could have been done without having to think about putting a burden of the people of the state. Yes, 2 to 5% would cushion the blow. Instead of trying to figure out how screw the taxpayers out of their money and not call it a tax.

So another conclusion that could be drawn after following the all encompassing practice of Fracking is, not only is it in truth a dirty fuel, it is also dirty politics.